Athletics

Keydets Complete VertKlasse Meeting with Personal Bests and CNU Classic with Top Marks

female athlete preparing to throw shotput

Alexis Rocker ’24 came in 28th place with a personal-best distance of 42.21 meters in the hammer throw at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, North Carolina, April 1, 2023.—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.

Keydets completed the VertKlasse Meeting hosted by High Point University with excellent marks as several Keydets earned personal bests at Vert Stadium in High Point, North Carolina, April 1, 2023. The Keydets’ strong showing at VertKlasse was followed by top marks at Christopher Newport University’s New Captains Classic in Newport News, Virginia, April 7–8, 2023.

Women’s Track and Field – VertKlasse

Day 1

Nathalie Lavender ’26 and Caroline Fiorillo ’25 performed well in the 1500-meter with personal-best times. Lavender finished in 5:03.78, and Fiorillo crossed the finish line with a PR of 5:13.13 for the event.

Day 2

Heaven Hall ’26 placed ninth overall in the 400-meter with a time of 59.36 seconds.

In the hammer throw, Alexis Rocker ’24 came in 28th place with a personal-best distance of 42.21 meters.

Men’s Track and Field – VertKlasse

Day 1

Andrew Granger ’24 earned a personal-best distance of 57.39 meters in the hammer throw to place ninth overall, and Hunter Davis ’25 threw a personal record in the shot put with a 24th-place mark of 14.01 meters.

Kevin Linko ’23 arrived in 11th place in the pole vault with a height of 4.27 meters.

A trio of athletes performed well in the steeplechase, including Nicholas Ligday ’26 (20th, 10:06.50), Andrew Hirneisen ’24 (21st, 10:08.37), and Craig Swain ’24 (22nd, 10:31.86).

Trent Whittaker ’23 led the way for VMI in the 1500-meter run with an 11th-place time of 3:54.11, and Stephen Kelley ’24 ran a personal-best time of 4:08.60 for the event.

Day 2

Whittaker ’23, middle-distance runner, placed third in the 800-meter with a time of 1:50.17. Nick Brown ’25 (48.76) and Richard Edwards ’25 (49.30) logged personal bests in the 400-meter with respective seventh- and ninth-place marks for the event.

In the triple jump, Keyandre Midgett ’24 came in seventh overall with a distance of 14.84 meters.

Herbert Brooks ’23 and Isaiah Blount ’25 earned personal bests in the discus throw. Brooks placed 19th overall at 43.97 meters, and Blount finished 23rd overall at 42.38 meters.


Women’s Track and Field – CNU

Day 1

The VMI women’s track and field teams had a good start April 7 at the New Captains Classic hosted by Christopher Newport University at TowneBank Stadium in Newport News, Virginia.

Jenna Kirkland ’24 placed third in the hammer at 37.39 meters, just ahead of Judith Gonzalez ’23, who placed fifth with a distance of 35.53 meters. Kirkland then threw a ninth-place javelin throw of 21.46 meters, and Roberson placed 10th at 18.67 meters.

Shea Hart ’26 competed in the heptathlon and earned several strong marks. She placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.04 seconds, followed by a fifth-place time of 28.42 seconds in the 200-meter. Hart also logged a shot put distance of 7.46 meters to complete a full day of competition.

Day 2

The women’s team finished CNU’s New Captains Classic with excellent times and marks April 8 at TowneBank Stadium in Newport News, Virginia.

Heaven Hall ’26 highlighted the second day with a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.37 seconds.

Taylor Hill ’26 placed second in the high jump with a height of 1.40 meters, and Kirkland placed fourth in the shot put with a distance of 10.04 meters.

Kirkland came in fifth in the discus at 33.60 meters, and Gonzalez was close behind in sixth at 33.11 meters.

Men’s Track and Field – CNU

Day 1

The VMI men’s track and field teams enjoyed a good start April 7 at CNU’s New Captains Classic.

Robert Jones ’24 came in 11th place in the javelin throw after his longest distance throw of the day reached 28.73 meters.

In the decathlon, Isaiah Blount ’25 and Kevin Linko ’23 took turns posting a better time or distance than the other. Blount took second in the 100-meter in 11.67 seconds, and Linko placed third in 11.70 before arriving in first place in the 400-meter (51.97), followed by Blount coming second in 52.88 seconds.

Blount finished third in the high jump at 1.62 meters, just ahead of Linko’s height of 1.59 meters, and followed the effort by placing first in the long jump at 11.81 meters. Linko then placed fourth overall at 9.73 meters.

Day 2

The VMI men’s track and field teams finished the New Captains Classic with excellent times and marks April 8.

Brandon Bauman ’24 finished in first place in the pole vault with a height of 3.88 meters, and he was followed closely by Tyrus James ’26 in second at 3.73 meters.

In the 400-meter dash, Noah Schagelin ’23 placed fifth overall in 52.37 seconds, and Stephen Munson ’24 came in eighth in the 110-meter hurdles in 17.83 seconds.

Editor’s Note: These stories first appeared at vmikeydets.com.